Panel securing mechanism



Feb."3,' 1953' e. LANDWIER 2,627,352

PANEL SECURING MECHANISM Filed Jan. 26, 1949 38 ,&-2 40 I INVENTDR 2 1BRi 34 5? wry LIAM l3 Lmnw BY Wk ATTUHNEYV Patented Feb. 3, 1953 PANELSECURING MECHANISM William G. Landwier, Fayetteville, N. Y., assignor toEasy Washing Machine Corporation, Syracuse, N. Y., a corporation ofDelaware Application January 26, 1949, Serial No. 72,873 8 Claims. (01.211-71) This invention relates to panel securing mechanism, and moreparticularly to a construction having utility in the appliance field,including washing machines.

In washing machines having aconstruction similar to that shown in LitlePatent 2,214,733, wherein spaced tubs are arranged side by side, it hasbeen usual to provide a panel construction somewhat tangentiallyconnecting the cylindrical side walls of the tubs to provide a smoothexterior side Wall having flat intermediate panel faces and rounded endsformed by the tubs.

Such panels have in the pastbeen secured in place by tension boltsextending between opposite panels on opposite sides and threaded betweenthe tubs at the approximate point of tangential contact of such tubs.Such construction has afforded difllculty in the assembly anddisassembly of such panels, it being understood that the practice ofmounting various control mechanisms upon the'panels requires occasionaldisassembly g of the panels for access and service.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a mechanism forindependently securing the referred-to panels in position, the mechanismbeing simple in form, economical of manufacture, easy of installation,and at the same time permitting quick removal of the panels held inposition thereby when desired.

The above and other objects of the invention will appear more fullyhereinafter from the following detailed description when taken inconjunction with the accompanying drawings. It is expressly understoodthat the drawings are employed for purposes of illustration only and arenot designed as a definition of the limits of the invention, referencebeing had for this purpose to the appended claims.

In the drawings, wherein like reference characters indicate like parts:

Figure 1 is a side elevation, parts broken away, illustrating theapplication of the invention to a washing machine;

Figure 2 is an enlarged broken section taken substantially on the line22 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a detail sectional view taken substantially on the line 3--3of Figure 2; and

Figure 4 is a perspective View of a spring clip shown in Figures 1 and2.

Referring to the drawings, there is shown in Figure 1 a two-tub washingmachine having a wash tub Ill and an extracting tub l2 mounted upon abase l4 having a skirt-like appearance, the whole being supported uponlegs 16 and IS. The tubs II] and I2 may be circular in section andarranged side by side in substantially tangential relation, and insubstantial accordance with the disclosure of the Litle patent abovereferred to.

The base I 4 comprises cylindrical or circular tub supporting hoops l9and 2i arranged sub stantially tangential to one another, and fillerside panels 20, each having an inwardly extending deck or shelf portion22 having arcuate edges for engaging said hoops l9 and 2|, but otherwiseof substantially triangular shape. The shelf portions are secured to thehoops along their arcuate edges, as by welding to one or more struck outtabs as at 23. Each hoop in turn supports atub, the tub l2 being shownas having an offset 25 seated upon a gasket mounted upon the rim 21 ofthe hoop 2|. Mounted upon the rims of the tubs l0 and I2 is a deck 24having an inner tub rim receiving flange 29 as for tub l2 and aninverted U-sectioned configuration 26 forming a marginal flange aroundthe outer edge of the deck 24. The tubs l0 and I2 bear upon and againstthe hoops I9 and 2| and in turn the deck 22, and are held in position inpart by tension bolts or stays 28 extending between the deck 24 andthreaded fastening members 30 in the deck Side panels 32 are provided oneither side of the washing machine, and are positioned in the deck 22 bymeans of spaced lugs 34 and 35 extending into semicircular struck outaperture 38 and 40 in the deck 22. Each of the side panels may have ahorizontally extending offset 42 and curved horizontally extendingstiffeningribs 44 and 46. The side edges 48 and 50 of each panel areadapted to bear against the cylindrical walls of the tubs l0 and I2.

For the purpose of securing the panel 32in position, there is provided aspring clip 52 formed of spring strip stock. At its upper end, the cliphas an upper inverted U portion 54 adapted to nest within the Uconfiguration 26 and one or more reverse bends such as 56 and 58 toprovide resiliency intermediate its length. Its lower end is providedwith an inverted V hook 60 adapted to engage the upper edge 62 of thepanel 32. 7 It will thus be seen that when the parts arelassembled asshown in Figure 2, with the spring clip under compression between thetop panel edge 62 and the inverted U configuration 26, the panel 32 isurged downwardly into the proper position and inwardly, so that itsedges 48 and. 50 lie in snug engagement with the cylindrical side wallsof the tubs Ill and I2. l

The clip has adjacent the V hook 60 an in e) clined portion 64 extendingto the reverse bends 58 and 56, which inclined portion may act as a camin sliding the upper edge of the plate 62 along the inclined portion 54until the upper edge 62 snaps into the V hook 663. It will be apparentthat the panel may be readily removed, if desired. by flexing the clipin such a manner as to lift the cam portion 64 above the edge 62 of theplate 32, whereupon the plate 32 is readily removed to provide access tothe space therebehind or to instruments such as a switch 65 or otherdevice which may be mounted upon suchpanel. The surface 54, as well asthe loops 56 and 58,

provide convenient finger holds for flexing the 7 from resilient springstrip stock so that the parts required for holding the panel in positionare reduced to a minimum both as to number and cost.

Although a. single embodiment of the invention has been illustrated anddescribed, it is to be understood that the invention is not limitedthereto. For example, such clip arrangement may be utilized to hold apanel-like means in other appliance constructions wherein the parts Ihave a degree of similarity to those used herein for illustration. Asvarious changes in the construction and arrangement may be made withoutdeparting, from the spirit of the invention, as will be apparent tothose skilled in the art, reference will be had to the appended claimsfor a, definition of the limits of. the invention.

Wha is claimed is:

1. In a device of the character described, a pair of vertically spaceddecks, a supporting structure. interposed between said decks andmaintaining said decks in spaced and fixed relation, a vertical paneladapted to cover a part of andbear inwardly against said supportingstructure, bearing means for supporting said panel upon said lower deckadapted to resist lateral movement, and resilient means interposedbetween said tOp deck and said panel, urging the to portion of Saidpanel inwardly and downwardly.

2. In. a, device. of the character described, a pair of verticallyspaced decks, a supporting structure interposed between said decks andmaintaining said decks in spaced and fixed relation, a vertical paneladapted to cover a part of and bear inwardly against said supportingstructure, interlocking bearing means between said panel and said lowerdeck for supporting said panel thereon and holding the lower end of saidpanel against lateral movement, and resilient means interposed betweensaid top deck and said panel, urging the. top portion of said panelinwardly and downwardly.

3. In combination, a pair of adjacent tubs arranged substantiallytangential to one another, a supporting frame for said tubs providing adeck in the space between said tubs adjacent the bottom level thereof, atop deck supported by the top rim of at least one of said tubs, staysinterconnecting said decks, a vertical panel bridging the space betweensaid tubs and having substantially elemental contact therewith along itsedges, interlocking means between said panel and said lower deck, andresilient means interposed between said top deck and said panel, urgingthe top portion of said panel inwardly and downwardly.

4.. In combination, a pair of adjacent tubs arranged substantiallytangential; to one another, a supporting frame for said tubs providing adeck in the space between said tubs adjacent the bottom level thereof, atop deck supported by the top rim of at least one of said tubs, saiddeck having an inverted U section marginal edge, stays interconnectingsaid decks, a vertical panel bridging the space between said tubs andhavin substantially element contact therewith along its edges,interlocking means between said panel and said lower deck, and resilientmeans having a portion seated in said inverted U section and interposedbetween said top deck and said panel, urging the top portion thereofinwardly and downwardly.

5. In combination, a pair of adjacent tubs arranged substantiallytangential to one another, a supporting frame for said tubs providing adeck in the space between said tubs adjacent the bottom level thereof, atop deck supported by the top rim of at least one of said tubs, andhaving an inverted U channel along its edge, stays interconnecting saiddecks, a panel bridging the space between said tubs and havingsubstantially elemental contact therewith along its edges, interlockingmeans between said panel and said lower deck, and resilient meansinterposed between said top deck and said panel, urging the top portionthereof inwardly and downwardly, said resilient means comprising aresilient strip having a looped portion nesting in said U channel and anotch portion bearing against said panel.

6. In combination, a pair of adjacent tubs arranged substantiallytangential to one another, a supporting frame for said tubs providing adeck in the space between said tubs adjacent the bottom level thereof, atop deck supported by the top rim of at least one of said tubs having amarginal edge interconnecting the rims of'said tubs, tension meansinterconnecting said decks, a panel substantially tangentially bridgingthe space between said tubs and having substantially elemental contacttherewith along its edges, interlocking means between said panel andsaid lower deck, and resilient means interposed between said marginaledge and the upper edge of said panel urging said last named means intointerlocking position.

7. In combination, a pair of adjacent tubs arranged substantiallytangential to'one another, a supporting frame for said tubs providing adeck in the space between said tubs adjacent the bottom level thereof, atop deck supported by the top rim of at least one or said tubs having amarginal inverted U section edge extending substantially tangentiallybetween said tubs, tension means interconnecting said decks, a panellaterally bridging the space between said tubs and having substantiallyelemental contact therewith along its edges, interlocking means betweensaid panel and said lower deck, and resilient spring clip means having aportion nested in said U section and a portion bearing downwardly andrearwardly upon said panel.

8. In combination, a pair of adjacent tubs arranged substantiallytangential to one another, a. supporting frame for said tubs providing adeck in the space between said tubs adjacent the bottom level thereof, atop deck supported by the top rim of at least one of said tubs havin amarginal inverted U section edge extending substantially tangentiallybetween said tubs, tension means interconnecting said decks, a panellaterally bridging the space between said tubs and having substantiallyelemental contact therewith along its edges, interlocking means betweensaid panel and said lower deck, and resilient spring clip means having aportion nested in said U section and a portion bearing downwardly andrearwardly upon said panel, said clip means comprising a member formedof fiat resilient strip stock having one end bent to form an inverted Unested in said U section, and an opposite end having an inverted Vbearing on said panel, the opposite ends being interconnected by aresilient central section having reversed folds.

WILLIAM G. LANDWIER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,014,479 Johnson Jan. 9, 19121,775,491 Hughes Sept. 9, 1930 1,955,648 Nickler Apr. 17, 1934 2,214,733Litle Sept. 17, 1940 2,485,189 Churchill Oct. 18, 1949 2,498,554 KleinFeb. 21, 1950

